Julian Ungar-Sargon

  • Home
  • Theological Essays
  • Healing Essays
  • Podcast
  • Poetry
  • Daf Ditty
  • Deep Dive Ditty
  • Videos
  • Publications
  • Military Service
  • Dominican University
  • Home
  • Theological Essays
  • Healing Essays
  • Podcast
  • Poetry
  • Daf Ditty
  • Deep Dive Ditty
  • Videos
  • Publications
  • Military Service
  • Dominican University
Julian Ungar-Sargon copy 3.jpg

Daf Ditty

A wide-ranging commentary on the daily page of Talmud.

Daniel intervenes and saves Susanna, François-Guillaume Méneageot, 1779

Ketubot 14: Maiden Raped By The Well

jyungar July 20, 2022

For the source text click/tap here: Ketubot 14

To download, click/tap here: PDF

Our daf discusses a case where a couple who had had kiddushin but not nissuin came before Rav Yosef.

The woman – who was pregnant – stated that her betrothed was the father, a claim corroborated by the man.

This discussion in our Gemara is connected with a parallel discussion in a Gemara in Yevamot where we find the possibility raised that a betrothed, pregnant woman may be suspected of having committed adultery.

Two possibilities are offered by the Gemara there.

According to one, this suspicion is raised only if there were rumors that the woman had been sleeping with other men; according to the second, this is a matter of concern even if such rumors did not exist.

We review Prof Jeffrey Tigay’s examination of Qumran scroll’s demand for forensic examination of brides accused of premarital intercourse and Howard Zvi Edelman’s analysis of the anthropology of the cultural notion of virginity in the antique period.

Since our mishnah discusses the case of a "maiden raped by the well" we visit a Second Temple (apocrypha) story of how Daniel used his knowledge of Torah to save Susannah, a righteous woman from wicked judges who falsely accused her of adultery.

Tags27th
  • Daf Ditty
  • Older
  • Newer

Julian Ungar-Sargon

This is Julian Ungar-Sargon's personal website. It contains poems, essays, and podcasts for the spiritual seeker and interdisciplinary aficionado.​